Longsheng Transportation

Tourists travel on foot in Longsheng

Due to Longsheng's location in a mountainous area, transportation is not that handy compared to other big cities in China. Without its own airport and railway station, visitors heading for Longsheng can firstly arrive at Guilin by air, train or bus and then transfer to the destination by bus.

Because of its unique landform Longsheng interior transportation is very simple. Although there is a regular bus to the main scenic areas, traveling by foot is more popular because of the beautiful scenery. Along the journey hikers can see the Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces and many villages, in which different ethnic groups live.

As it is a county under Guilin's governance, visitors who want to reach Longsheng by air can firstly fly to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport. From the airport tourists can take the airport bus to the Aviation Building Stop in the urban area, where to find the Guilin Chief Bus Station and then take a long-distance bus to reach that county.
 

Arrival in Guilin City firstly, travelers could transfer to Longsheng County by bus at the Chief Bus Station. Here, there are frequent direct buses departing to that county from 06:50 to 19:00 at an interval of every 40 minutes. The 80-kilometer's journey will be finished in 2 hours and costs around CNY25 per person.

By the way, some local inns located in the terraces offer round-trip express buses for clients to get to the scenic area directly. Of course, you should do accommodation reservation in advance and ask for pick-up. The bus's ticket fare is a little higher which is around CNY40 to CNY50 per person for a single journey. Usually, the driver will pick up travelers early in the morning from your hotels in Guilin.
 

In Longsheng Town, there is the regular bus which can take tourists to the main scenic areas in the surrounding places:

1. To Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces (in Ping'an Village of Heping Township): the regular bus spends one hour arriving at the parking lot of the Ping'an Village, then 30 minutes' walk brings tourists to the scenic area. The bus fare is about CNY10 per person.
2. To Longsheng Hot Springs National Forest Park: the regular bus's operating hours is from 07:00 to 18:00 with one shift every 20 minutes. The fare is about CNY5 per person.
Note: For detailed information on how and where to take the regular bus, please ask your tour guide or the local residents when you are there.
 

In Longsheng, the Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces and the villages in the terrace areas are not accessible by bus, thus travel on foot is the best way. Tourists can not only enjoy the beautiful natural scenery along the road but also apperceive the different ethnic groups' social customs. At the same time, walking on the mountain path can be comparable to climbing the mountain and is a good way for tourists to take exercise.

Further Reading
How to Travel between Guilin and Longsheng